Dolls and toy figures have enjoyed a continuous and long term popularity among children of a vary broad age range. This long term popularity and continuing interest have prompted practitioners in the art to provide a virtually endless variety of dolls and toy figures. Many dolls and toy figures are active and perform in a manner generally mimic human actions. As a result, dolls and toy figures have been provided which perform activities such as walking, crawling, swimming, skating, or fighting to name just a few. In addition to activity functions, the advent to low cost miniature microprocessors and speech circuits has stimulated the introduction of sound related actions in dolls and toy figures such as talking, laughing, singing or crying.
Not surprisingly, such dolls and toy figures vary dramatically in the appearance which they present. Thus dolls and toy figures provide appearances that range from vary realistic to extremely fanciful and often exaggerated appearances. Also some dolls and toy figures have appearances which are decidedly unrealistic such as exaggerated monsters on one extreme or cartoon characters at the other. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,445 issued to Northey sets forth a HEAD AND JAW ACTUATION DEVICE for use in a puppet to provide motion of the mouth and head to simulate mouth movement during speaking.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,127 issued to Harp sets forth a DOLL-LIKE PUPPET WITH MOVEABLE MOUTH having a spherical head defining a moveable mouth operated by a pullstring. The string is attached to the lower jaw. The head is supported upright on a rod extending downward therefrom such that the lower end of the rod may be gripped by the user while the jaw is manipulated by the pullstring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,265 issued to Clark sets forth a PUPPET APPARATUS bulbous body supporting a static beak and a moveable beak and generally resembling a bird. A push-pull mechanism operable by the users thumb is coupled to the moveable beak to provide the illusion of talking by the puppet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,865 issued to Orenstein et al. sets forth a TOY DOLL CONSTRUCTION having a body and animated mechanism in the doll body. The doll body includes a head portion having a resilient flexible mouth section and means for distorting the resilient mouth to simulate speech.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,232 issued to Takahashi et al. sets forth a VOICE MAKING DEVICE FOR MOVING ANIMAL TOY AND MOVING ANIMAL TOY USING THE VOICE MAKING DEVICE having a toy animal figure which supports a battery powered fan mechanism operative to draw air into the toy interior. The flow of air is passed over a voice generating member having a vibrating piece therein and is further directed to apparatus for moving the toy figure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,811 issued to Bergenguer sets forth a MECHANISM FOR THE CRYING AND SUCKING MOTION OF DOLLS having an eccentrically mounted shaft which is secured to one end of a spring having its remaining end connected to a portion of a doll face. A pacifier is inserted into the mouth of the doll opening the switch and activating all devices. When the pacifier is removed the voice device is activated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,139 issued to Erickson et al. sets forth a EATING DOLL having a flexible head defining a mouth and lips therein. A pair of calipers pivotally coupled within the doll interior provide a set of jaws moving the lips in response to the squeezing of the doll torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,696 issued to Sapkus et al. sets forth a DOLL HAVING MEANS FOR CHANGING FACIAL EXPRESSION UPON TURNING OF HEAD and U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,695 issued to Sapkus et al. sets forth a SNEEZING DOLL both of which are illustrative of mouth moving mechanisms for dolls.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,990 issued to Kubiatowicz sets forth a TOY ACTIVATING MECHANISM having a novelty item supporting a pair of jaw and teeth assembly in a pivotal attachment facilitating opening and closing movement of the jaws of the novelty device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,087 issued to Terzian et al. sets forth a SOFT STUFFED TOY WITH MANUALLY DRIVEN HEAD EARS AND/OR TONGUE. While U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,012 issued to Blandi et al. sets forth a MUSICAL PULLSTRING TOY which are generally related to mouth movement in dolls in toy figures.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have improved the art and in some instances enjoyed commercial success there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved, interesting and entertaining hand held dolls